


Judge Ren

by ivnwrites



Category: Dredd (2012), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, PTSD-kinda, mental trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 13:17:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8329327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivnwrites/pseuds/ivnwrites
Summary: Ren is sent to deal with a situation at Peach Trees. His plans change when he encounters Ma-ma's technician.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was spawned from a discussion with smol-Hux.  
> I'm under the same name at tumblr, feel free to talk to me there.  
> http://ivnwrites.tumblr.com/

A strong hand clamped around Techie’s arm, dragging him screaming out of his hiding place under one of the unused desks. He was slammed up against one of the server banks with the muzzle of a gun pressed to his head hard enough to leave an imprint.

“Where’s Ma-ma?” The judge yelled.

“She’s - she’s on the top floor! In her penthouse. But it - it’s behind 10 inches of solid steel!” He pressed himself further against the metal rack as the Judge’s hand dug into the back of his neck, mind frantically working to think of any information he could offer to bargain for his life. “I can give - give you the code for the lock. Please, don’t shoot, it’s -”

He was cut of when the hand twisted into the fabric of his shirt and threw him violently toward the door. “I don’t need you to tell me.” Ren dragged the technician out of the computer room, ignoring his screams and attempts to resist. He stopped in front of the steel door. With the grip on his shirt released, Techie fell to the floor in a heap, the fingertips of one hand resting against the metal surface “Open it.” He snarled. The smaller man whimpered and curled in on himself. Ren seized him by the arm and yanked him up to face the keypad. “Now, damn you.”

He keyed in the code, his finger hovering over the ‘OPEN’ command. “She’ll kill me. She’ll kill me.” Techie attempted to step backward but stopped when the back of his head met the barrel of a gun.

“I’m the one with a gun to your head.” Ren ground out, digging the metal into Techie’s scalp. “Open it!” A second later the door began to rumble open and Ren wrapped his forearm across Techie’s chest. Even through his thick armour, Ren could feel the smaller man trembling as his breath came in short, choked puffs. He swept his eyes over the room, checking for Ma-ma’s goons. When he saw none coming, he took a breath and turned his focus to Techie’s mind, letting his eyes fall halfway closed as he climbed out of his own body.

A wave of terror rolled over him, so strong it nearly made Ren gag. Then the memories began. Screams echoed through his head as he watched Ma-ma gouge out Techie’s eyes with her thumbs because she wanted him to be more efficient. Hours spent curled into a back corner of the server room, trying to recover from the crippling headaches and infections the implants caused. A knife pressing into his stomach as ‘encouragement’ to work faster, leaving long red scratches behind it.

Ren pulled himself out of his reverie and noticed that Techie was standing limply against his chest, head hanging in defeat. Throughout Ren’s entire mission, Techie had never been as afraid of the Judge as he was of Ma-ma. Even with the former holding a gun to his head, Techie was still more terrified of the mob boss. Something in his resolve cracked and Ren found himself beginning to rework his plan to include the smaller man.

He turned the red head to face him and gripped his shoulders, feeling Techie shrink away in fear. “Look at me.” Techie glanced up for a moment before dropping his eyes back to his own feet. Ren knelt down, setting his helmet on the floor and reaching up to grasp Techie’s arms. “Techie, look at me, please.” The gentle words did the trick and he made shocked eye contact with the Judge. “I’m going to get you out of here.” He cupped a hand to Techie’s cheek. “I promise, but I need you to trust me.”

Techie nodded silently and Ren replaced his helmet and stood, wrapping his forearm back across the smaller man’s shoulders. Techie shuddered when Ren placed the lawgiver against his temple. “You have to trust me.” Ren whispered to him. After a few moments, he nudged Techie forward and began to make his way towards the main room of the penthouse. 

One of Ma-ma’s men stepped out from behind a wall, his gun raised. Ren spun to face him directly, the movement dragging Techie off balance so he hung off of Ren's arm. “Try anything and I shoot him.” The man faltered, his gun dipping. Ren shot him in the head, taking advantage of his momentary lapse. Techie jumped at the shot and Ren pulled him closer. “Which way do I go?” A shaking hand pointed down one of the hallways and a sob caught in Techie’s throat. The last time he had been in that room he had lost his eyes, leaving it in horrified tears that only irritated the fresh implants further.

They reached the top of a staircase and saw Ma-ma waiting for them. Techie practically vibrating with fear, his hands coming up to clasp Ren’s arm.

“You’re persistent, Ren. I’ll give you that.” She smirked, head cocked to the side as she leant against a railing. “But I didn’t think you were the type to go for lost causes.”

Ren raised an eyebrow under his helmet. “A lost cause? It seems he’s been quite useful to you today.” He turned his head a fraction of a degree and heard Techie whispering ‘I trust you’ over and over like a matnra.

“What? Him?” Ma-ma scoffed derisively. “He’s a technician. I can make myself twenty more.” She grabbed a pistol she had stashed behind her back and took aim at Techie.

Ren shoved him behind cover and took the brunt of the shot on the left side of his chest armour. He used the impact to propel himself into a roll, dropping his right shoulder to the ground and coming back up behind a set of metal shelves. Ma-ma had abandoned the pistol she had shot at Techie with, and was now using a semi automatic, and a hail of bullets smacked against the metal behind Ren. He waited until he heard a break in her fire and grabbed a nearby chair. Whirling around, he flung it towards Ma-ma, kicking over the shelving he’d crouched behind.

Techie heard all of this from his hiding place. He was curled into a ball, clutching his head to his knees. He kept glancing at the stairs they ascended, willing himself to crawl away and scramble down them, but found his limbs frozen every time he tried to move. The crash of metal on concrete made him jump. He heard the big windows shatter and wrapped his arms over his head with a sob. 'Oh god she killed him!' Techie thought frantically. 'She killed him, and now he’s a puddle on the ground floor like those others.' He heard footsteps advancing towards him. 'I just hope it doesn't hurt.' A hand touched his shoulder and he unfolded his body with a jerk, scrambling backwards until he hit a wall. A thousand scenarios ran through his head as he tried to calculate how much of his body was actually necessary to run the monitors.

“Techie you’re safe.” Ren took off his helmet when his words had no effect, setting it on the floor nearby. “It’s me. Ma-ma is gone, she can’t hurt you anymore.” He knelt down and saw the man’s eyes were dilated completely, his breath coming in short pants. Comforting him had no effect, it was time to try a different tactic. “STOP.” Techie froze, his breathing paused entirely. Ren pressed a hand to the smaller man’s sternum. “Breath in,” He felt the soft rise. “and out. Again, and again.” Slowly, Techie’s breathing equaled out. “Good. Do you know who I am?”

“J - judg - ge, judge.”

“Ren." He supplied. "Kylo Ren.” He waited as Techie repeated the name haltingly. Ren slipped his hands under Techie’s arms and lifted the smaller man to his feet. He swayed for a second before his eyelids flickered and he fell backward. Ren jumped forward and caught him before he could hit the wall, hooking an arm under Techie’s knees and lifting him easily. A collection of scratches was visible on his stomach where the yellow shirt rode up, and a bruise was forming on the side of his face where Ren had pushed him against the server bank.

He pressed his cheek to Techie’s forehead. The skin was clammy despite the flush that had formed on the red head’s cheeks. Ren heard his eyes whir open, and Techie blinked up at him in a daze. “You’re in shock. I need you to breathe slowly. You can close your eyes if you need to, but I want you to try and stay with me.” Ren told him, shifting slightly so Techie’s head rested against his neck. “I’m taking you away from here.”

“Like you promised.” Came the slurred reply, making Ren smile. He used the hand under Techie’s legs to grab his helmet, holding it in a loose grip until another hand came down over his and Ren saw Techie had also reached out for the helmet. He let go and watched as Techie clutched it to his chest.

They stepped into an elevator and Ren stroked his fingers over Techie’s arm as it started to move, watching the floor numbers tick downward. “What’s your real name?” He asked softly.

Techie was silent for so long that Ren thought he had fallen asleep. He looked down to see Techie staring into his own blurry reflection on the side of Ren’s helmet. “I can’t remember.” He stroked a hand over the pitted surface as if he could wipe away a layer of dust and find himself underneath it. “They always called me Techie. Ma-ma never told me my real name.”

“I’m sorry.” Ren rested his cheek on Techie’s head, unsure of what else to say.

Light and sound bombarded the lift when the reached the ground floor. Radio chatter combined with investigations and the afternoon sun to create a hectic scene in the atrium. The entrance to Peach Trees was flooded with justice department personnel, and Techie curled closer to Ren as one of them approached. 

“Who is this?” She asked, gesturing to Techie.

“Ma-ma was holding him hostage. He needs medical.” Ren answered tersely, turning to approach one of the waiting ambulances. A crew member walked up to him with a tablet and an expectant expression. “John Doe. Shock, sub-par cybernetic implants, psychological trauma.”

The EMT recorded the data and nodded, transmitting it to a central database. He signaled another member of the ambulance crew who brought over a stretcher. “We’ll take him from here, sir.”

Ren’s helmet fell to the ground with a clatter as Techie shifted to wrap his arms around the Judge’s neck. “Don’t go. Please.” The movement nearly folded Techie in half, making him look like a small child compared to Ren’s bulkier form.

“I’ll stay.” He stroked a hand over Techie’s hair. Ren looked up at the EMT who took the reaction in stride. He gestured to the ambulance and Ren climbed into the back, settling Techie on his lap. He accepted a blanket from one of the crew members and wrapped it around the smaller man.


End file.
